New Hope Council President Announces Revamp Of Parking Garage Committee, Signals New Project Phase

Recently, New Hope Borough Council President Connie Gering announced changes to the New Hope Borough Parking Garage Committee.

The shake up follows the March settlement of a key legal issue and comes as the project advances to a new phase.

The borough is looking to build the multi-million garage near the Delaware Canal to the north of Union Square and the New Hope Railroad.

The proposed project now moves to a new phase, which will focus on obtaining constituent input and detailing the financial and revenue aspects of the project. Council Members Dan Dougherty, Louise Feder, and Ken Maisel will replace the previous committee members, who were council members Peter Meyer, Laurie McHugh, and Gering.

Gering expressed gratitude to Meyer and McHugh for their service, and congratulated Dougherty, Feder, and Maisel on their new appointments.

“This change will allow Peter, Laurie, and myself to focus on other initiatives, including updating the Borough’s Comprehensive Plan,” said Gering.

“We now look forward to hearing from our constituents and breaking down the financial details of this pivotal project,” Gering added.

In August, the committee will look at estimated construction, financing, operational costs, and eevenue.

In early 2021, New Hope Borough received a formal commitment from the state for a $1.75 million grant to support the construction of the new parking garage. As a result, an ad hoc garage committee was formed comprising Meyer, McHugh, and Gering.

For two years, the committee worked with a consultant and borough officials.

In New Hope Borough, a lack of parking has been an issue decades and only has become worse as the number of visitors has grown along with development. Around 20,000 people can visit New Hope Borough on weekends in the spring, summer, and fall tourist season.